Automatic-lever switch



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J F GAYLORD AUTOMATIC LEVER SWITCH.

Patented June 7, 1898.

[1V VEN T OR Mfi A Home] 7 WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN FLETOIIER GAYLORD, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, lBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-FOURTH TO MEYER L. STRAUS, OF

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

fSPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,313, dated June 7, 1898. Application filed January 26, 1897. Renewed March 8, 1898. Serial No- 673,145. (No model.)

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN FLETCHER GAY- LORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic-Lever Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to improvements in railway-switches and operating mechanism thereof and has more particular relation to switches that are automatically thrown by the weight of the approaching train.

The invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, all of which will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the device embodying my invention applied to a railroad-track, the trip being in its elevated position. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of the trip and bell-crank lever. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of the pulley-block. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of the switch stand and lever, the latter being thrown forward to leave the main line clear. Fig. 5 represents a top plan View of my improved switch, and Fig. 6 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of the sliding pawl.

1 1 in the drawings represent the pivoted switch-rail; 2, the trip; 3, the switch-stand; 4, the switch-lever, and 5 the rod connecting said lever with the movable rails l. Said rails 1 are mounted and connected in the usual manner of siding and main rail switches. One of said rails is connected at its forward end with a chain 6,. which passes about a grooved pulley 7, secured to the side of one of the main rails. .This chain disconnected by a rod 8 with a chain 8, that passes over a roller 8", journaled on the rail, and connects by means of a link-rod-S with a bell-crank lever 9, pivotally mounted upon a headed block 10, secured in a suitable recess out in the base of the rail. One arm of this bellcrank lever v9 is adapted to contact with the under side of the pivoted trip 2, so that when said bell-crank is operated by the opening of the switch to the siding said trip is raised above the upper surface of the rail of the main line and is thus in a position to bestruck by the wheels of an approaching train.

It will be observed that when the trip 2 is depressed by the wheels of the train the bellcrank lever 9 is operated, thus pulling upon the chain 6 and drawing the pivoted switchrails into such position as to leave the main line clear and the siding closed. In order to set the switch for the siding, the same isconnected to the switch-lever4 bya connectingrod 5. The said rod 5 is mounted in suitable guides secured to a base-plate 11 of the stand 3 and is provided at its rear end with a supporting-pin 12, which rests on an inclined surface 13, formed on a strip 14, adjustably secured to said plate 11. This strip 14 is formed atone end of the surface 13 with a depression 15, intowhich the pin 12 is adapted to drop, when the lever 4 is in its rear position, for setting the siding. An angular arm 14 is adjustably secured upon the strip 14, so as to lie above the same and form a guide for the pin 12.

The lever 4 is provided with laterally-projecting trunnions 17, adapted to work in elongated slots 18, formed in the stand 3. The upper end of said lever 4 operates between two segmental plates 19, each of which is provided at each end with a notch or depression '20 and 21, respectively. One of said plates 19 is further provided with an auxiliary plate 22, having a segmental periphery 23 and a notch or dip 24. The said lever 4 is provided 1 with across-bar 25, the opposite ends of which are adapted to become seated in the notches 20 when said lever is in its rear siding position.

provided at one end with an antifriction-roller 26, that rests upon the segmental surface 23, and thus supports the lever 4 in position with a minimum amount of friction while being moved over the segmental plates 19. When This laterally-projecting cross-bar is posit-ion.

said lever 4 is inits rear siding position, this antifriction-wheel 26 drops into the notch24, and thus assists in holding the lever in this Said lever 4 is further provided with a locking-pawl 27, having a handle 28, and provided with side flanges 29 and a rear flange 30, the arrangement of said flanges being such that said pawl will slide vertically upon said lever, but cannot be displaced laterally upon the same. in the forward main-line position that it occupies when the main line is open and the siding closed, this pawl 27 by its own weight drops into the notches 21 of the segmental plates 10, and thus locks the lever in this position. To prevent the said pawl from being raised by an unauthorized person to throw the switch open and break the main line, the said lever 4 is provided with a padlock-passage 31, which lies just above the upper end of said pawl when it has dropped into the notches 21. It will thus be observed that a padlock applied in this aperture will prevent the said pawl from rising, and thus will lock the lever 4 permanently in position.

When the pawl is in its raised position it occupies when the switch to the siding is open, the side flanges 29 of the same pass over the two ends of the passage 31, and thus prevent the padlock from being applied to said lever until it is again moved forward to close the switch. By this construction the switch-lever can only be locked when the main line is clear and the siding closed. The said lever 4 is provided with a bell-crank lever 32, pivot; ally mounted thereon and provided with an operating-handle 33. When the said lever is in its rear siding position, with the cross-arm 25 resting in the notches 20, it is necessary to first lift said cross-arm out of said notches before the lever can be pressed forward. In order to accomplish this, the handle 33 of the bell-crank lever is forced forward, which.

causes the lower end of said lever to engage the upper surface of one of the segmental plates 19, and thus raise the lever 4. Upon the release of said handle 33 it automatically permitted without injury to any of the moving parts.

It will further be observed that the operation of this device, closing the siding upon the approach of a train, is altogether automatic and does not in any manner rely upon the action of springs.

After the trip 2 has once been depressed it i is raised again by the bell-crank lever pressing against the under side of the same upon 1 the opening of the switch to the siding by the operation of the switch-lever 4.

When the lever '4 is By the novel means employed in the construction of this device the switch is automatically closed to the siding either upon the approach of the train along the main line or when a train has passed from the siding onto the main line, as the trip in either instance is operated by the pressure of the wheels upon the same. The said trip is of course located at a sufficient distance from the pivoted rails to permit of the longest train having passed clear of the siding before the wheels of the locomotive strike said trip.

When the switch-lever 4 is in its rear position, the operation of the pivoted rails by means of the trip will force the connecting bar 5 rearward, thus causing the pin 12 to contact with the forward-inclined surface of the notch 15 to raise the lever 4 and permit the ends of the arm 25 to clear the notches 20. Said lever upon reaching its forward position is automatically locked by the pawl 27 dropping into the notches 21. By this means the said switch-lever 4 is locked in both of its adjusted positions, but may be instantly thrown from the rear to the forward main-lineposition by the approaching train, but cannot be operated vice versa without the pawl 27 being first lifted by the attendant.

By the employment of my invention all danger of an open switch is avoided, as the approaching train will automatically close the switch, should the same happen to be open, before reaching it, and the said switch will be automatically locked in this closed position by the peculiar construction of the switch stand and lever. I

This invention altogether obviates the use of springs,'and thus permits of a positive and definite action, unaffected by the temperature or elements to which it may be exposed.

The relative arrangements of the trip and the switch are such that sufficient distance is left between the same to accommodate the longest train that might pass over the track. By this means the rear of the train has passed the trip before the locomotive reaches the siding, and the latter may thus be opened or closed freely, as the trip is not at that stage engaged by the wheels of the train.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-switch, the combination with pivoted switch-rails, of a pivoted switch-lever connected to said rails and adapted to be moved vertically upon' the operation of the switch,a projection mo unted upon said switch lever and adapted to lock in suitable notches on the switch-stand but be disengaged from the same upon the vertical movement of said lever, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-switch,the combination with pivoted switch-rails,of a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said pivoted rails, a pivoted switch-lever f connected to said movable rails and adapted to move vertically upon the operation of the 605,313 g i a switch, a switch stand, an inclined strip mounted on said stand, a projection connected to the pivoted lever and adapted to rest on said inclined strip, and other projections mounted on the lever and adapted to engage notches in the switch-stand, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch,the combination with pivoted sWitch-rails,of a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said pivoted rails, a pivoted switch-lever connected to said movable rails and adapted to be moved verticallyupon the operation of the switch, and a projection mounted upon said switch-lever and adapted to lock in suitable notches on the switch-stand, but be disengaged from the same upon the vertical movement of said lever, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-switch,the combination with pivoted sWitch-rails,of a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said switch-rails for operating the same, a pivoted vertically-movable switch-lever connected to said switch-rails, means for moving said lever vertically uponbeing operated, a stationary projection on said lever adapted to engage notches on the switch-stand, and a sliding pawl mounted on said lever and also adapted to engage notches upon the switchstand to lock said lever in position, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-switch, the combination with pivoted switch-rails,of a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said switch-rails for operating the same, a switch-stand, a switch-lever pivotally mounted in the same and capable of vertical movement, a rodconnecting the movable switchrails and said lever and provided with a laterally-projecting pin, a plate having an inclined slot in which said pin operates to raise and lower the lever, and a projection upon said lever adapted to engage notches formed on the switch stand, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-switch,the combination with pivoted switch-rails, and a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said pivoted rails, a switch-stand having inclined slots formed in the same, a switch-lever having trunnions mounted in said slots, means for moving said lever vertically upon being operated, and projections mounted upon said lever and adapted to lock in suitable notches formed in the switch-stand, substantially as described.

7. In a railway-switch,the combination with a switch-stand having a segmental upper surface, of a lever pivoted in said stand so as to be capable of vertical movement, and an. antifriction-roller mounted on said lever and supporting the same in position by resting upon the upper segmental surface of the switch-stand, substantially as described.

8. In a railway-switch,the combination with pivoted switch-rails, of a trip mounted in proximity to one of the main rails and connected to said pivoted rails, a pivoted switchdever connected to said movable rails and adapted to be moved vertically upon the operation of the switch, projections upon said lever adapted to engage notches formed in the switchstand, but be lifted out of the same upon the vertical movement of said lever, and an antifriction roller mounted on said lever and adapted to roll over the top of the switch-stand during the operation of throwing the lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN FLETCHER GAYLORD. 

